Amelia Jean Beazley & the Mystery of the Missing Gift for Santa Claus
by theletterdee
Summary: Amelia Jean Beazley makes fruitcake for Santa (with her nana's help) a few days before Christmas, and when it goes missing, she enlists the help of Chief Superintendent Matthew Lawson and Dr. Alice Harvey to find out who ate the cake! My contribution to the Blake Secret Santa 2019


_my contribution to the Blake Secret Santa 2019 for majsmom, who asked for "Matthew and Alice, something that showcases their relationship with a happy ending and good feelings and bonus for a mystery they can solve together", please enjoy as I had a lot of fun writing this - Dee_

* * *

_**Amelia Jean Beazley and the Mystery of the Missing Gift for Santa Claus**_

Amelia Jean Beazley loved Christmas; she loved the decorations, the music, and spending time with her family. She especially loved spending Christmas with her nana in Ballarat, which is where she was this year as Daddy prepared for another deployment in the coming year.

"You missed a spot."

"Matthew, really," her nana huffed as she handed Amelia another ornament while they decorated the tree. "Must you do this every year?"

"It's tradition," Superintendent Lawson - though Amelia knew him as Uncle Matthew - smiled from his spot on the couch. "You'd miss it if I didn't, Jean."

Nana shook her head with a fond smile and continued handing the ornaments to Amelia, "Let's finish this up, my darling, and then we'll get started on our baked goodies."

"Can we make something for Santa when he visits?"

"Of course," Nana kissed the top of her head, "we can make fruitcake."

"And carrots for the reindeer?"

Her nana smiled even as Uncle Matthew chuckled from the couch, "I'm sure I have some laying around in the kitchen."

Amelia smiled back as she and Nana finished up the tree just as Dr. Harvey called out a greeting as she entered Nana and Papa's home.

"We're in the parlor, Alice!"

Amelia watched as the good doctor (she wasn't _quite_ comfortable with being called Auntie Alice yet, so Nana said to call her Dr. Harvey) leaned over the back of the couch and pressed a kiss to Uncle Matthew's cheek; Dr. Harvey turned pink when she realized Amelia had seen it, but didn't pull away as Uncle Matthew murmured a greeting with the kind of smile Amelia had seen Papa aim at Nana. She grinned as Dr. Harvey did the same kind of smile back at Uncle Matthew and they shared a soft kiss.

She liked Dr. Harvey, even if the woman wasn't really comfortable around Amelia alone; Amelia didn't mind, her mama told her that people acted differently from others, and if they didn't then the world would be plenty boring.

And there was nothing worse than a boring world in Amelia's mind.

"Alright, the tree is trimmed, unless there are any more missing spots?" Nana looked to Uncle Matthew with a raised brow. (Uncle Matthew just smiled and shook his head as Dr. Harvey joined him on the couch.) "Right, Amelia, let's get to fixing that fruitcake for Santa!"

"_Fruitcake for Santa?_" she heard Dr. Harvey ask Uncle Matthew quietly. "_That's a thing_?"

"_It is, sweetheart. You could always help, get to know that tradition if you'd like_."

Amelia giggled at the scrunched up look on Dr. Harvey's face, like she'd smelled something icky but didn't want to say anything.

"_Jean doesn't need me messing up her kitchen._"

"_I'm sure she'd be fine with it._ Jean!" Uncle Matthew called out - ignoring the "_Oh, Matthew, don't!_" from the woman beside him.

"Yes, Matthew?"

"Alice hasn't made a fruitcake for Santa before, think she could join you and Miss Amelia in the kitchen?"

Nana popped her head out of the kitchen and eyed the furious look Dr. Harvey was currently aiming at the side of Uncle Matthew's head. "Only if she wants to, Matthew."

"Well-"

"_Only if she wants to_," Nana put her hands on her hips, "now, I suggest you two enjoy the lights on the tree while Amelia and I make this cake. Matthew, no more pushing Alice. Come on, Amelia."

Amelia nodded and joined her nana in the kitchen as Uncle Matthew and Dr. Harvey talked quietly behind them; she hoped Uncle Matthew wasn't in trouble with her nan and Dr. Harvey.

"Is Uncle Matthew in trouble?" Amelia asked Nana.

"No, he… he just gets excited sometimes around Dr. Harvey."

"Why?"

Her nana paused as she pulled out the ingredients needed, "Well… you know how not everyone has such a nice upbringing like you do, Amelia?"

"Yes."

"Dr. Harvey… missed out on a lot of things growing up, and so Uncle Matthew gets excited about her experiencing them for the first time."

"So she didn't leave Santa fruitcake? And his reindeer carrots?"

"No, pet," Nana smoothed a hand over her hair, "she didn't."

"Well, can't she come and help us, then?"

"Dr. Harvey doesn't like being in the kitchen like you and I do, and I don't want her to feel uncomfortable, understand?"

"Yes, Nana."

"And you're not to pester her about other things she missed out on, alright? Dr. Harvey is a very private person."

"I won't, Nana, I promise."

* * *

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I got excited again." Matthew said as soon as Amelia and Jean had left the parlor.

Alice kept her eyes narrowed a little longer after Matthew drew back from kissing her cheek - just to mess with him - before she shook her head fondly.

"You silly man; I'm… I still haven't gotten a hold on cooking just yet and I don't want to mess something up."

"You also don't want to potentially be alone around Amelia either, do you?"

Her cheeks flushed even as she nodded, "I… I know it's foolish, but…"

Matthew kissed her cheek again and then tilted her chin up for a proper kiss, "I understand, Alice. You're not comfortable, and I'm sorry I was pushing you."

"You never push me, unless it's in a way I like, dearest," she kissed him lightly. "But you're right, I'm not comfortable around the kitchen, or around Jean's granddaughter… but in order to be comfortable, I'd have to spend more time around both, and…"

"You don't know how."

"No, I don't."

"Ah, well…" he pulled her against his side as they both looked up at the freshly decorated tree. "We'll figure something out before Amelia has to leave, I'm sure."

Alice hummed and leaned her head on his shoulder; maybe she'd grow more at ease around the small child running around the house, or maybe she wouldn't and it would reaffirm her aversion to children. Whatever happened, Alice would endure it for the sake of not upsetting the Blakes or Matthew; it was near Christmas, after all.

Humming another sigh, she settled further against the man beside her, "So, what's the crossword look like today?"

* * *

Amelia and her nana got to work preparing fruitcake (and carrots) for Santa alongside other baked goods for Christmas; it didn't take long - even with Amelia sneaking some of the candied fruit, much to her nana's exasperation - and soon they pulled the cake from the oven to cool.

"Santa needs the best slice, Nana," Amelia told her as she watched her nana expertly remove the cake from the pan and pull out a knife.

"Alright, alright," Nana chuckled. "Let me cut a few slices and you can pick the best one from those; the rest of the cake will be for us and our visitors to enjoy."

"Okay!"

Amelia pondered the slices before her - her nana wrapping up the rest of the cake for later and came to stand beside her as Amelia made her choice.

"That one, Nana."

"Oh, such a good choice, my darling," Nana squeezed her shoulders as Amelia giggled. "Alright, let me set that one aside, and if you could go get Uncle Matthew and Dr. Harvey, I say it's a good day to have dessert before dinner even if you _did_ pilfer some of the candied fruit."

"Really, Nana?"

"Really, we'll share a slice," her nana kissed her cheek and brought the remaining three slices to the kitchen table while Amelia practically skipped into the parlor for the other two adults.

Christmas was the best at her Nana and Papa's house.

* * *

Alice was about to get the chance to grow more at ease around Amelia when she came by for dinner the next night and the Blakes announced they had some business to attend to in Melbourne the following day.

"Can I come with you?" Amelia had asked.

"No, poppet, we've got very grown up things to do," Lucien leaned down and kissed the girl's forehead when she pouted slightly. "I wish you could, but the things we've to do are no place for a darling little girl such as yourself."

"Okay, Papa," she sighed.

"If you two have to go, who's going to look after her?" Alice asked.

"Why, you and Matthew, of course."

She choked on her wine and looked up at Lucien in alarm, but Matthew's hand on her back soothed her a little. "Beg pardon?"

"It's just for a day, Alice, and she's five years old, Amelia won't bite. Will she?"

"No, Papa," the girl giggled even as Jean let out an exasperated "_Lucien!_"

Eyeing the girl, and then her friends, Alice huffed a silent sigh; she played with her peas until Matthew covered her hand with his.

"I'll be here with you, what could go wrong?" he whispered.

She smiled as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Oh… oh alright, what time do I need to come over in the morning?"

And so here she was, standing with Matthew in the hallway while the Blakes got the necessary last minute things ready for their trip to Melbourne - Amelia trailing after them to spend as much time with them as possible before they left.

"It's just for a day, sweetheart, what's the worst that could happen?" he pressed a kiss to her cheek as Jean and Lucien said their goodbyes to Amelia.

"Anything," she grumped even as he kissed her cheek again, "you know how I am with children, Matthew."

"That just means you haven't been around them enough; Amelia's a sweet girl and more than capable of keeping up with conversations. She's been very interested in science and what Lucien does, so maybe you can talk to her about that."

Alice sighed and looked to the girl before she looked back at Matthew, "Just for one day?"

"Just for one day, I promise."

"And it's just the day part, yes?"

"Yes," he chuckled and kissed her cheek again.

"I think I can do that."

"I have faith that you can," he grinned as she swatted at his elbow.

Jean came up to them and hugged Alice, "Thank you so much for this, Alice, and I'm so sorry it's last minute."

"It's alright, Jean, Matthew will help me suffer through this," Alice grinned. "Like Lucien said, it's only Amelia, and only for a day while you and him sort out what you need to sort out in Melbourne."

"I'll make sure he makes it up to you," her friend winked as Matthew coughed and his ears turned a pretty shade of pink. "I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Thank you, Jean."

With a last wave as the door closed behind the Blakes and their car left the drive, Alice was suddenly all too aware of Amelia's big grey eyes staring at them both; she didn't know what to do, so she stared back.

"Let's uh…" Matthew shifted beside her and cleared his throat, "let's go to the parlor, Amelia, and maybe find a story to enjoy?"

The girl nodded with a bright smile - looking so much like a mini version of Jean it made Alice do a slight double take as Amelia walked up to him, "Will you read to us, Uncle Matthew?"

"I can, if you and Dr. Harvey want me to."

"Oh, please, Dr. Harvey?" Amelia reached out and grasped onto Alice's hand with both of hers - startling her.

Alice looked between the girl and Matthew (who had his most mischievous smile on his face) and opened her mouth, but nothing came out; swallowing, she tried again, "I… think that would be very nice, Miss Amelia."

(_It was just for one day, she could do one day_)

Matthew smiled and started towards the parlor as Amelia tugged on her hand; Alice wasn't sure what the girl wanted, but it became clearer when Amelia tugged on her hand again and leaned up on her toes. Alice leaned down slightly as Jean's granddaughter whispered to her.

"He does better voices than Papa can, but don't tell Papa because I don't want his feelings hurt," the girl bestowed her secret to Alice, and as much as she was wary around the child, Alice had to smile at her manners and thought for others.

"Your secret is safe with me. Can I share a secret with you too, Miss Amelia?" When the girl nodded, Alice's smile widened just a fraction, "I like hearing Matthew do the funny voices too."

Amelia beamed and she pulled Alice towards the parlor by her hand; maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Matthew read to them both, and even cajoled Alice into reading a few chapters so he could take a break, but most of the morning had passed over books and the far off adventures within their pages; Amelia was enraptured - leaning close to Matthew's side as he ran his finger underneath the words as he read so the girl could follow along, and she would do the same to Alice when it was her turn.

(Alice got the hang of the finger thing after a few awkward paragraphs and gentle reminders from Matthew; it was interesting to say the least)

But as it neared lunchtime, she could see Amelia's attention starting to wander as she shifted in between them on the couch, and looked silently to Matthew for guidance; he checked his watch and smiled.

"How about you help me make lunch, Miss Amelia? I'm sure you're getting hungry."

"Okay," she nodded, "can we go outside and play in the garden afterwards?"

Matthew chewed on his inner lip as he thought, but he nodded, "Yeah, we can do that, or maybe even go to the park."

Alice straightened slightly in alarm - her, go out in public with a child? Together with Matthew no less? What would people think? What would they say?

The weight of Matthew's hand on her shoulder grounded her and Alice gave him a shy smile. Amelia liked the idea of going out, and… Alice trusted Matthew. If he thought it was a fun idea, she would at least try it. If not for his sake, then for the sake of the small child they were looking after today.

"We'll see what the weather's like, Miss Amelia, it might be too hot to spend too long outdoors. If it is, then we'll stay here in the garden where it's plenty shaded for us old folks."

"You're not old, Uncle Matthew," the girl giggled as she hopped down off the couch.

"I feel old," he groaned as he stood and helped Alice up.

"If you feel old, then I do too."

"_You're both not old!_" Amelia called from the kitchen.

Matthew chuckled and squeezed Alice's hand, "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

"So far, so good," she smiled and kissed his cheek. "She's not as… scary as I thought she would be."

"No child that descends from Jean Beazley Blake would be scary… except when angry, maybe, Jean's scary when she's angry."

Alice laughed, knowing exactly what he was talking about, but her next thought was interrupted by something smashing in the kitchen and Amelia's hurried footsteps back towards them.

"Amelia, what happened?" Matthew asked as the girl ran up to Alice and threw her arms as far around her waist as she could - her sobs filling the parlor while Alice nearly stumbled back on the couch from the force of Amelia running into her.

"It's gone!"

"What's gone?"

"The cake for Santa, it's gone!" she cried. "It was there yesterday, but now it's gone!"

"How could it have disappeared?" Alice asked quietly as Amelia sobbed into her skirts. "Jean clearly let everyone know it was off limits."

"She had a lot of visitors yesterday before you came over for dinner, sweetheart."

"What… do we do?"

"Can you find them, Dr. Harvey?" Amelia tugged on her skirts - tears streaming down her face. "Papa said you help him find bad people, and this is a bad person."

"Ah…"

"Please, Dr. Harvey! Santa needs the fruitcake to know that we're grateful for the presents!"

"I… suppose… he does," she felt so out of her depth with an upset child, and looked to Matthew for guidance, but… there was a mystery to solve, and Alice loved a good mystery. "Amelia, was it just the cake missing?"

Amelia nodded, and Matthew raised an eyebrow in Alice's direction.

"Amelia said the day they made the fruitcake that she wanted to leave the cake for Santa, and carrots for the reindeer; only the cake is missing, Matthew."

He frowned as he thought this over, and something clicked behind his eyes.

"I've an idea of who was behind this, but it's just a hunch," Matthew muttered as Alice tried to console the crying girl currently clinging to her waist.

"Good, that means you can help Amelia find the culprit," Alice nearly grinned at the shocked look on Matthew's face. "After all, if it's a theft from Santa, there's no one better to investigate than the Chief Superintendent of Police, right, Miss Amelia?"

Amelia sniffled and wiped away her tears as she looked between the two adults, "Really? You'd help me, Uncle Matthew? We'd find them like Papa and Nana would?"

"Papa and Nana are usually the ones helping _me_," Matthew harrumphed, but his grumpiness softened at Amelia's big grey eyes (so much like her grandmother's). "Yeah, I'll help you and Dr. Harvey investigate."

"_Me_?"

"Yes, _you_," Matthew teased. "I can't investigate this properly without a police surgeon."

"I'm not the police surgeon!"

"You're the only one I've got right now, sweetheart. C'mon, it'll be fun, I know you want to know the answer to this too."

Biting back a sigh, especially at Amelia's hopeful look - it looked so much like Jean's, and Alice could never say no to that look on Jean - Alice nodded.

"Alright, well… lead us to the crime scene, Miss Amelia."

"I'd say she could be an honorary constable for this."

"You're really having fun with this, dearest," Alice smiled as a pink blush bloomed on Matthew's cheeks when Amelia hugged him. "But you do know that Jean will have something to say about her granddaughter being a police constable."

"_Honorary_ police constable."

"Not sure if that difference will mean anything to her."

"Oh, hush, let's go look at the crime scene and figure this out."

"Yes! Let's go!" Amelia grabbed Alice's hand - she surprisingly didn't jump this time, she must be getting used to Amelia's level of excitement - and pulled her towards the kitchen; Alice grabbed hold of Matthew's hand as they passed him, and she giggled softly at the mental visual of the odd human chain they formed.

"Constable Beazley," Matthew addressed Amelia with a serious face - the one Alice teased him by calling it his _Chief Superintendent_ face. "What do we have here in the crime scene?"

Amelia looked from Matthew up to Alice and bit her lower lip; Alice smiled and took a look over the room. The small plate that the fruitcake had been on sat on the table, a few crumbs lingering on its surface and on the table around it; on the floor lay the shattered remains of a tea cup - one that Alice hoped Jean wouldn't miss - and that answered the question of what smashed when Amelia was in the kitchen earlier. There wasn't much to go on, but that had never stopped them when solving a mystery.

"Looks like they avoided the carrots, Superintendent."

"Nana says carrots are good for you," Amelia interjected.

"Too right they are, Constable Beazley, so we've not only got a thief, but also someone who doesn't eat their veggies."

"Does that help narrow down our suspect list?" Alice asked as they all gathered around the empty plate.

"Maybe, Dr. Harvey, but we should probably write down our clues and possible culprits."

"We could use the chalkboard in the surgery, but first maybe we should clean up the crime scene before Jean sees this?"

"We should, and have lunch as well. Can't solve a crime on an empty stomach."

* * *

Amelia giggled at Uncle Matthew's teasing, but she helped Dr. Harvey sweep up the shattered cup as Uncle Matthew pulled out the makings for sandwiches and the pitcher of Jean's freshly made lemonade; Amelia wanted to help, so he pulled over a chair and carefully guided her through cutting some tomato for the sandwiches while Dr. Harvey readied the bread with mayonnaise and soon lunch was prepared and they took a break from the case with a much needed meal.

After they cleaned up, the three of them went into Papa's surgery and Uncle Matthew rolled the chalkboard over.

"Care to do the honors, Doctor?" he offered the chalk to Dr. Harvey.

"You've seen my handwriting, we want this legible."

Uncle Matthew laughed, "I love your chicken scratch."

"Just… you do the writing first," Dr. Harvey huffed as he kissed her cheek. "Besides you know how everyone's name is spelt."

"That's true," Uncle Matthew nodded as Dr. Harvey picked up Amelia so she could sit on Papa's desk. "Alright, Constable Beazley, Dr. Harvey, let's write up our notes and suspects."

It took them awhile to write it all up (or at least awhile to Amelia); Uncle Matthew leaned up against the desk as Dr. Harvey took over writing halfway through when his leg acted up some. They'd listed out all of the visitors from yesterday between Amelia and Uncle Matthew's memory, and then went through it one by one to narrow the names down to only a handful of likely culprits.

"Five names seems small enough to go and investigate," Dr. Harvey mused. "Hobart's at the station, Dr. MacRae is on call at the hospital, but I don't know where to find the other three."

"Cec should be at the Colonist's like usual, and Agnes Clasby will be puttering around her family home, and for the record I have to state that I don't think Rose did this."

"Why, because she's your niece?"

"_No_," Uncle Matthew frowned even as Dr. Harvey smiled, "because she was literally only here for ten minutes and I was with her the entire time."

"Is that so? Then how do we know _you_ are not the culprit?"

"Because I already had a slice."

"What do you think, Constable Beazley, is that a sound alibi for Rose Anderson and the Superintendent?"

Amelia muffled her giggles with her hands as both of the adults looked to her. She didn't think Uncle Matthew did this, however, so she nodded.

"Ha! See, I didn't do it."

Dr. Harvey just narrowed her eyes and erased Rose's name from the board, "Right, we've got four people to go interview: Sergeant Hobart, Dr. MacRae, Cec Drury, and Agnes Clasby."

"Let's go then, which one should we start with, Constable Beazley?"

"Sergeant Hobart!"

"To the station it is!" Uncle Matthew swept her up off the desk and headed for the door - Amelia giggling the entire way. Dr. Harvey followed them, a soft smile on her face as she watched them.

If this is what investigating was like with Uncle Matthew, then Amelia could see why Papa and Nana helped him.

* * *

Alice hadn't had this much fun in quite awhile.

Amelia's investigation into the missing fruitcake had taken them to the police station where Sergeant Hobart was questioned and cleared as he'd barely step foot into 7 Mycroft Avenue yesterday - certainly not long enough to enjoy a slice of fruitcake. It was the same with Dr. MacRae at the hospital. From the hospital they'd trekked to the Colonist's; Cec Drury was delighted to see Amelia, even gave her a small root beer (complete with whipped cream on top) as Constable Beazley asked her questions, but after the root beer, the child deemed him "too good" to be the culprit.

"If only that worked in our regular investigations," Alice muttered to Matthew - who hid his laugh in a cough. "Alright, so it wasn't Hobart or Dr. MacRae, and Constable Beazley assures us it's not Mr. Drury… that leaves Ms. Clasby."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help, Dr. Harvey, Superintendent," Cec took the finished root beer (and empty water glasses of both Alice and Matthew).

"It's alright, Cec," Matthew smiled. "Thank you for the root beer for Amelia."

Cec smiled and held up a hand when Matthew went to pay for it, "It's on the house, Superintendent, after all it is the holidays, and Miss… I mean Constable Amelia Jean Beazley is a treat to see every time she visits."

"Thank you, Cec. Come along, Constable, it's on to our next suspect."

"Will she have root beer?"

"Likely not," Alice answered as Amelia took her hand and swung them between them as they walked, "but knowing your Papa's stories of her, she'll probably have some form of sweets."

"Oh good, I like her already."

Matthew laughed on Amelia's other side as they walked from the Colonist's Club to an older neighborhood of Ballarat; Alice had never been on this side of town, it felt very stuffy and less welcoming than the Blakes' neighborhood. As they walked, Matthew pointed out the Tyneman's estate - Alice never stepped foot there in all the hubbub around Patrick and Edward's deaths - as well as the houses of other old, _old_ families of Ballarat.

"I'm surprised there are so many, what with Ballarat only being little over a century old."

"Ah, you know rich people, never move slow to establish empires and the lot."

"True."

"Here we are," Matthew led them up a neatly trimmed footpath to a large house; it wasn't as elaborate - _gaudy_, was the word that came to mind - as other houses around them, it was well-constructed (didn't shirk on fine materials), but stately instead of overtly _rich_ as the rest of the neighborhood. Alice thought the Clasbys had nice taste, even if their house was worth more than she made in five years - ten years even.

A servant answered the door and led them to a parlor, that looked more like a study with the walls of books, before leaving to inform Agnes of their arrival; Agnes arrived just as tea (and treats) were brought in by another servant.

"Matthew, I didn't expect to see you in my neck of the woods."

"Agnes," he stood and smiled as she flapped a hand for him to sit.

"What can I do for you?"

"We're here on somewhat urgent business-"

"Someone ate the fruitcake for Santa!" Amelia piped up, interrupting Matthew, and Alice saw Ms. Clasby's eyebrows raise so high they nearly disappeared into her hair.

"Is that so? And I suppose you and Matthew are investigating?"

"With Dr. Harvey's help too!"

Alice felt her cheeks burn under Agnes' steady, piercing gaze, and she ducked her head as she sipped at the tea generously provided by their host; once again, Matthew and Alice let Amelia ask her questions - Agnes pulling Jean's granddaughter up on the settee next to her as Amelia got to indulge in some more sweets.

Alice wasn't sure if it was good for the girl to have this much, but for such a small child, she had an incredible amount of restraint. She nibbled on her treat, and didn't gorge like Alice had expected her to; after all, that's what Alice had done in her own childhood, for if she ate fast then the food wouldn't be taken from her. Or if it was, then at least she got more in that short amount of time allowed.

Amelia, however, was the product of a good and loving childhood - a childhood of plenty; she'd never have reason to want for basic needs like food or shelter, and she'd never have to wonder if she was loved. (And she _was_ loved, so much by Jean and Lucien, Matthew and her parents… and maybe even loved by Alice herself. She'd never know what it would be like without such a wonderful support system like the one she had now.) Amelia would have the kind of life Alice had wished for, and Alice was all too happy for her.

She felt Matthew lightly squeeze her knee while Agnes and Amelia talked, and looked up with a smile at the fond look on her love's face.

"Everything alright?"

"Everything is perfect, Matthew, but I don't think Agnes ate the cake."

"I know she didn't, she doesn't like candied fruit."

Alice blinked, and then blinked again, "So… why was she on the list?"

Matthew's ears turned pink and he shifted on the couch next to her, "Uh, well, she's… lonely. All of her social interaction these days comes from her visits to Lucien's surgery and the occasional dinner with the Blakes; Lucien and Jean are really all she's got in the world since her sister passed years ago. So, I thought pulling her in on the little mystery would be good for both her and Amelia."

"Matthew Lawson, you are a big, soft teddy bear, do you know that?"

"Am not," he huffed, even as the blush traveled from his ears to his cheeks when Alice leaned over to kiss one. "Don't tell anyone."

"Your secret is safe with me, dearest."

They stayed longer at Agnes Clasby's house than they had with all the other places, but Amelia was enjoying herself, and the tea and treats were too good to pass up; eventually though, they had to leave - Amelia hugging Agnes before she hopped down from the settee and took Alice's hand - and Agnes sent them off with a wave and biscuit each.

"So, Constable Beazley, is Ms. Agnes Clasby still a likely suspect after your thorough interrogation?" Matthew asked the girl as they walked down the street - heading back for the comfort of Mycroft Avenue.

She thought about it as she finished her biscuit, and swung her and Alice's hands as they walked.

"No, I don't think she is."

"Why?"

"Fruitcake is sweet and Ms. Clasby only had sandwiches with her tea today, no sweets."

"Such a clever observation, Amelia," Alice praised.

The girl beamed and skipped a little on their walk. "What do we do now? We don't have any suspects no more."

"_Anymore_," Alice caught herself correcting Amelia - much to the amusement of Matthew, judging by his smile - and she could feel her face start to grow hot as Amelia looked up at her. "And we go back to the board, and try again."

"But we didn't learn anything."

"We learned four people who didn't do it, _and_ I think we might have figured out the timeline."

"Really?"

"Mm-hm," Alice nodded and they paused when Amelia stumbled a bit, "are you alright?"

"M'tired, a little," Amelia yawned and rubbed at her eye with her free hand as Alice looked to Matthew.

He shrugged, "It is getting pretty late in the day, Amelia usually has an afternoon nap."

"Don't need a nap," the girl protested, her foot almost stomping down - _almost_ \- but the way she swayed into Alice's side betrayed how tired she was.

"Can you make it back home, Amelia?"

After a long moment, Amelia shook her head and looked up at Alice - her free arm rising up in the classic, silent gesture to be picked up; looking over to Matthew, who gave her an encouraging nod, Alice awkwardly hoisted the girl up into her arms.

Matthew came over to help steady her while Amelia squirmed into a more comfortable position, "There you go, arms under her thighs and bum, sweetheart."

"Isn't that uncomfortable?"

"Shift her to your hip, there you go," he smiled as Amelia rested her head on Alice's shoulder - her little arms reaching as far around as she could around Alice's neck. "Let me know if you get tired."

"It's not that far back to the house, I'm sure we'll be fine," Alice huffed and set off back to Mycroft Avenue.

Truth be told, it felt nice to hold Amelia like this; sure, she got heavier as she fell asleep, and one of her arms slumped off her shoulders - swinging with every step - but after their day of adventure and interacting with her, Alice found it all very nice. Maybe her aversion to children had been lack of exposure, but she knew she wouldn't go jumping to be around a child again, Amelia was a sweet girl, and also one raised by good parents, and good grandparents. Not every child was as sweet.

Matthew's hand was warm at the small of her back as they walked back home, and she smiled when he leaned over to kiss her temple.

"You're good with her, sweetheart," he whispered.

"She's easy to be good with."

"Make you want to experience it for yourself?" he teased. "There's a few orphanages around here with children her age."

"Amelia is more than enough for me right now," Alice just smiled, "Let's get her back home; Jean and Lucien might be back."

The Blakes indeed were home by the time Alice and Matthew trekked back to the house; their car was in the drive as Amelia stirred in Alice's arms.

"Are we home, Auntie Alice?" she asked sleepily.

Her cheeks warmed at Amelia's new title for her, and she smoothed a hand over the girl's back, "We are, Amelia, and it looks like your nana and papa are home."

"Good, then we can tell them the results of our investigation," Matthew smiled as Amelia rubbed at her eyes.

"But we haven't finished it!"

"Maybe they can help us with the final pieces, Constable Beazley," he nudged Amelia's chin with his knuckles, "and you can impress your nana and papa with your investigative skills. Besides, I have a hunch on our culprit."

"Okay, Uncle Matthew."

Matthew entered the house first, calling out Jean and Lucien's names as Alice followed behind him with Amelia still in her arms; Amelia kept her head on Alice's shoulder as she closed the door behind her.

"_Where's Amelia_?" she heard Jean ask from the kitchen.

"_Alice is with her, they'll be in shortly._" Matthew answered as Alice walked towards the kitchen - nimbly avoiding the Blakes' luggage and the side table in the hall as Amelia wanted to stay in her arms.

"We're here," Alice smiled as she carried Jean's granddaughter to her waiting friends. "I think someone's ready for a nap, Jean."

"Nuh-uh," Amelia protested, "we still have the mystery to solve!"

"Mystery?" Jean looked at all of them.

"The cake slice for Santa has gone missing, Jean."

"_Missing_! I clearly made everyone aware not to touch it!" Jean stood with her hands on her hips, as her husband grimaced and his hand reached up to nervously smooth down the back of his hair behind her.

Alice exchanged a look with Matthew - who'd caught the nervous tick in their mutual friend - and he nodded with a slight smile. So, Matthew's hunch was one Dr. Lucien Blake.

It made sense, Lucien had never been able to resist any of Jean's baking even before their romance started, and he also likely didn't question _why_ a single piece of cake was sitting apart from the rest of it; he was the only one in the house who hadn't had a slice the day Jean and Amelia made it, and had a notorious sweet tooth, so that explained the untouched carrot sticks.

"Well, it went missing and we decided to investigate; Constable Beazley here was most helpful and clever."

"Really?"

"Uncle Matthew and Auntie Alice helped me, Nana! We were just like you and Papa! We looked at the crime scene, and interviewed suspects, but I don't know who took the cake yet."

Jean smiled at Alice's blush and she took Amelia from her friend's arms with ease, "Sounds like you had a fun day, Amelia Jean."

"But we didn't find who took the cake, Nana."

"We can always make another one, my darling girl, now, let's get you settled down for your nap. Tomorrow will be a busy day as we prepare for Christmas Day."

"Is Auntie Alice staying for dinner?"

"I don't know," Jean looked to Alice with an eyebrow raised, but she smiled when Alice nodded. "Looks like she is, so she'll still be here when you get up."

"Okay, bye, Auntie Alice."

Alice reached over and tucked a stray curl behind Amelia's ear, "I'll see you later, Constable Beazley."

Amelia grinned and snuggled up to her nana as Jean walked from the room to settle the girl down for a brief nap during the afternoon; it wasn't long before she returned and squeezed Alice's shoulder.

"So… _Auntie Alice_, do you have a hunch on who ate the cake?"

Alice nodded and both she and Matthew pointed to Lucien at the same time.

"_Lucien!_"

Her husband raised his hands to remind Jean they had a sleeping child in the house right now, even as he looked very ashamed.

"_You ate the cake for Santa!_" Jean whispered - angrily - to her husband.

"I didn't know it was for Santa!" Lucien replied at the same volume - both Alice and Matthew entirely too amused at the scene in front of them.

"It was by itself on a plate from the rest of the cake, Lucien."

"I just… assumed it was you leaving a slice for me like you tend to do, my darling."

"_You could have asked_!"

Lucien rubbed the back of his neck and head again and his shoulders slumped in defeat, "I'm sorry, you're right, Jean, I should have asked. What can I do to make it up to you?"

Jean regarded him with a narrowed look as she crossed her arms, "You admit to Amelia you ate the cake, _and_ you help us make the replacement tomorrow."

"Done and done."

"Good, now you're going to help me with dinner since Matthew and Alice have spent all day looking after Amelia, but first, tea for all of us."

* * *

Amelia forgave her grandfather for eating the cake when he told her at dinner, and she made him promise not to eat the replacement for Santa; the rest of the evening passed with little excitement, Amelia hugging both Matthew and Alice goodnight before she went to bed, and before Matthew walked Alice home. Outside was warm, kind of balmy, but not uncomfortable as she laced her fingers with his - their pace slow and lingering as they walked in a very familiar silence.

Alice led him inside once they got to her front door, and she caught his crooked smile as she did, "You didn't think today was over for us, did you, Superintendent?"

"Not now," he pulled her into his arms after she closed and locked the door, "what are your plans, Doctor?"

"The usual," Alice smiled and playfully walked her fingers up his chest, "and maybe I have an early Christmas gift for you."

"Really? Where is it?"

"You'll have to unwrap it and find out."

She leaned in and kissed him before pulling him towards the bedroom; Matthew liked his Christmas present - he told her so frequently as he undressed her and saw the matching lingerie set she'd bought for him - and as they lay in her bed afterwards, Alice had to say that she enjoyed the present too.

"Thank you, sweetheart," he kissed her forehead, "that was a very nice present."

"Glad you think so," she kissed his chest, smoothing a hand over it as he trailed his fingers up and down her spine. "Merry Christmas, dearest."

Matthew chuckled and kissed her forehead again, "Merry Christmas, Alice. As it happens, I also have an early Christmas gift for you."

"Really?" Alice sat up on her elbow and looked down at him. "Is it here, or do I have to wait until tomorrow?"

He laughed and leaned over the side of the bed to pull up his discarded jacket, "It's right here, but unwrapped so close your eyes."

"You'd better not be pranking me, Matthew," she teased, but closed her eyes all the same. He rustled around some and she heard his jacket fall to the floor once more before he touched her shoulder.

"Open your eyes, sweetheart."

She peeked a bit and saw what looked like a ribbon; opening her eyes fully, they went wide at the sight of a red ribbon hanging from Matthew's outstretched hand with a ring tied to the end of it.

A sparkling, _diamond_ ring.

"Matthew?"

The grumpy superintendent cleared his throat, looking uncharacteristically nervous as he shifted on the bed and let Alice hold up the ring for a closer look.

"Ah, well, sweetheart, we've been… _going steady_ as the kids would say for quite some time now, and… I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you… if you'll have me and if that's also what you want."

Alice looked from the ring in her hand to the man lying in her bed, biting her lower lip; they had been dating for awhile and become closer than before, her usual worries about relationships and that walk towards matrimony had lessened over time as Matthew showed himself to be a man not wanting a traditional wife. He made her feel like she didn't have to change; he made her feel safe, and loved, and beautiful - something she hadn't felt in such a long time, if ever. She slowly pulled the ring and ribbon from his grasp - hearing his nervous gulp as she cupped his cheek and smiled.

"Ask me, Matthew."

"You're sure?"

She nodded, and brushed her thumb over his cheekbone, "Ask me, my dear Matthew."

A brilliant smile crossed his face and Matthew curled his hand around hers holding the ring, "Alice, will you marry me?"

Happiness bubbled up in her and her smile matched his as she nodded; Matthew's smile grew wider if possible and he untied the ring from the ribbon and slipped it on Alice's shaking finger. Kissing the knuckle once the ring was in place, he pulled her in for a kiss - Alice could feel his grin against her lips and giggled.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

"Merry Christmas, dearest," she kissed him as he rolled her beneath him on the bed.

Matthew trailed kisses along her jaw and neck as she held him close, "Shall we tell the others tomorrow or wait?"

"We could see how long it takes for them to figure it out."

"My devious woman," he nipped at her neck as she laughed. Alice just pulled him down for another kiss and threaded her fingers through his - the ring sparkling in the low light of her bedroom as they celebrated the start of a new chapter in their lives.


End file.
